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Home » Barnes County 4-H Council Receives Grant Thanks to Local Farmer

Barnes County 4-H Council Receives Grant Thanks to Local Farmer

Thanks to a local farmer, Barnes County 4-H Council was awarded $2,500 from Monsanto’s America’s Farmers Grow Communities Grant.

Ellen Bjelland, Barnes County’s 4-H extension agent, said that soybean farmers can nominate their favorite non-profit organizations to receive grants from Monsanto. Thirty-nine states participate in this grant program, and of all the nominations that come from a particular county, Monsanto selects one to receive the grant.

Bjelland said Monsanto is the largest chemical company in the world. They are the company that produces Roundup herbicide products.

The Barnes County 4-H accepted the check Thursday at the Sheyenne Care Center during another 4-H event. The area Monsanto representative said, “This is a very large effort on Monsanto’s part for our farming community, and we can’t thank our farmers enough.”

Pat Broten, who has a soybean farm near Dazey, nominated 4-H. Broten said her kids were very active in 4-H and did exceptionally well in it.
“4-H is very near and dear to our hearts,” Broten said, “It gives them such good self esteem and confidence.”

Her three children were members of the three corners 4-H club in Wimbledon, and Broten hopes the grandchildren will be involved in 4-H, too, when they’re old enough.

With this grant, Barnes County 4-H, which has approximately 100 members, plans to support attendance at Western 4-H camp for youth to learn about livestock.

Bjelland said that they hope to be able to provide funds for Barnes County 4-H members who wish to attend that camp, which is in Washburn.
“It’s a long drive out there, and we’d like to provide some travel funds and camp fees for those that would like to go,” she said.

“We’d like to support some of the areas that are unfunded,” Bjelland said.

Bjelland is grateful for the Broten family for nominating them. “It’s nice to know the 4-H connection doesn’t end when your children graduate from 4-H,” she said.